Best HTTP Debugging Proxies for Mac

The short answer. Proxyman is the native macOS choice with HTTPS decryption and a modern interface. Charles is the long-established cross-platform one. mitmproxy is the scripting one and runs in a terminal. James and rockxy are open-source and lightweight, and Proxie is the simple one. Reqable straddles this and the API-client category. The dividing question is whether you need to script the proxy or drive it by hand — mitmproxy is the only real answer to the first.

This guide covers 7 http debugging proxies for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment. Last verified 2026-10-05.

Quick comparison

What actually decides this

• Scriptable or GUI-driven. A GUI proxy is for exploring a request once. A scriptable one is for rewriting traffic in a test suite. They are different products with the same name, and this is the first thing to decide.
• HTTPS interception and certificate setup. Every tool here decrypts TLS with a local certificate authority. How much of that setup it automates is most of the difference between an hour and an afternoon.
• Rewrite versus breakpoint. A rewrite rule applies changes automatically; a breakpoint stops a request so you can edit it by hand. Test suites need the first; exploration needs the second.
• What it does with traffic on a mobile device. Most of the value is intercepting a phone. Check that the tool supports the platforms you actually test on before configuring a desktop.

Our picks

• Proxyman — Its record describes a native macOS HTTP debugging proxy with HTTPS decryption, which is the GUI-first case. Choose it when you want a native macOS proxy with HTTPS decryption and a modern interface.
• Charles — Its record describes a cross-platform HTTP and HTTPS debugging proxy, which is the long-standing option. Choose it when you need the established cross-platform proxy with the deepest feature history.
• mitmproxy — Its record describes an open-source interactive HTTPS proxy scriptable in Python, which is the automation case. Choose it when the proxy has to run from a script or a terminal.
• Rockxy — Its record describes exactly those four operations, which is the narrow open-source version. Choose it when you want open-source interception, inspection, modification and replay in a light tool.
• James — Its record describes an open-source proxy tool for checking and mapping requests, which is the minimal case. Choose it when you want to map and check requests with as little overhead as possible.

The apps

Charles

Charles is a HTTP debugging proxy for macOS. Cross-platform web debugging proxy for viewing HTTP and SSL/HTTPS traffic between your machine and the internet, sold as a one-time licence. It is one-time purchase.

Strengths. According to the developer, views HTTP and SSL/HTTPS traffic in full, including requests, responses and the HTTP headers carrying cookies and caching information. Works as a proxy, a monitor and a reverse proxy from one application. Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, so one licence and one tool cover a mixed-platform team.

Trade-offs. A licence covers only the current major version; moving to the next major version costs 40% of the original price. Closed source, so the proxy and its certificate handling cannot be inspected. Site licences are priced per site, so a multi-site organisation needs the more expensive Multi-Site License. Reading HTTPS traffic requires trusting an intercepting certificate on the device. The minimum macOS version is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks.

Not for. Anyone who needs an open-source proxy they can inspect — Charles is closed source. Users who want a perpetual licence across major versions, since a licence covers one major version.

What it does. HTTP proxy, monitor and reverse proxy in one application. Views all HTTP and SSL/HTTPS traffic between the machine and the internet. Shows requests, responses and HTTP headers, including cookies and caching information. Reverse proxy mode for inspecting traffic from remote clients.

Charles is listed with current version 5.2.1.

Full profile and verified facts for Charles →

James

James is a networking tool for macOS. Open-source proxy tool for checking and mapping requests with http as well as https. It is open source.

What it does. Web Debugging Proxy Application.

James is listed with current version 2.1.2.

Full profile and verified facts for James →

mitmproxy

mitmproxy is a HTTP debugging proxy for macOS. Free and open-source interactive HTTPS proxy for intercepting, inspecting, modifying and replaying web traffic, with command-line, web and Python-scriptable tools. It is released under MIT.

Strengths. According to the developer, intercepts, inspects, modifies and replays traffic across HTTP/1, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, WebSockets and other TLS-protected protocols. Decodes message types from HTML to Protobuf so content is readable rather than raw. A Python API gives full control over traffic, allowing addons that modify, redirect or visualise messages.

Trade-offs. The command-line tool is the primary interface, which makes it less approachable than a graphical application. Getting the most from it means writing Python addons. Intercepting HTTPS requires trusting a certificate on the inspected device, which weakens that device’s security while installed. Scripting requires writing Python, which is the price of its flexibility. The minimum macOS version is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks.

Not for. Anyone who wants a graphical Mac application with a point-and-click breakpoint workflow. Users who are not comfortable on the command line or writing Python, since that is where its power sits.

What it does. Intercepts, inspects, modifies and replays web traffic. Supports HTTP/1, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, WebSockets and other TLS-protected protocols. Decodes message types from HTML to Protobuf into readable form. Command-line interface for terminal use and automation.

mitmproxy is listed with current version 12.2.3.

Full profile and verified facts for mitmproxy →

Proxie

Proxie is a networking tool for macOS. HTTP debugging proxy. Its pricing is not published.

Full profile and verified facts for Proxie →

Proxyman

Proxyman is a HTTP debugging proxy for macOS. Native macOS HTTP debugging proxy that captures and decrypts HTTPS traffic, with breakpoints, local and remote mapping, JavaScript rewriting and network throttling. It is one-time purchase.

Strengths. According to the developer, captures and decrypts HTTPS traffic as a man-in-the-middle proxy, so requests and responses can be read in plain text. The breakpoint tool modifies requests and responses on the fly without changing client code. Map Local mocks a response from a local file with a chosen status code, headers and body.

Trade-offs. The free tier is a limited evaluation, restricted to a single debugging rule and without the advanced tools. Closed source, so the proxy and its certificate handling cannot be inspected. The mobile apps are not included with the single-seat Standard licence; they need Personal or Team. Team cloud features such as shared workspaces and SSO require the subscription tier rather than a perpetual licence.

Not for. Anyone who needs an open-source proxy they can inspect — Proxyman is closed source. Users who need the advanced debugging tools for free, since the free tier allows only one rule.

What it does. Acts as a man-in-the-middle proxy, decrypting HTTPS for inspection in plain text. Breakpoint tool for editing requests and responses in flight. Map Local serves a local file as the response, for mocking. Map Remote redirects requests to a different endpoint.

Proxyman is listed with current version 26.0.1.

Full profile and verified facts for Proxyman →

Reqable

Reqable is a developer tool for macOS. Next-Gen API Development Tool, Advanced API Debugging Proxy and REST Client. It is free.

What it does. Enhance your API development with a powerful tool that combines HTTP(s) debugging proxy and REST client, for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

Reqable is listed with current version 3.2.23.

Full profile and verified facts for Reqable →

Rockxy

Rockxy is a networking tool for macOS. Open-source HTTP(S) debugging proxy for intercepting, inspecting, modifying, and replaying requests. It is released under AGPL-3.0.

What it does. Export workflows now cover OpenAPI YAML/HTML and selected-traffic Gist publishing with redaction-aware payload building. Inspector tools now include JSONPath/key/value filtering and quick previews for selected payload text such as JWTs. Node.js Developer Setup now mirrors the selected client during validation and has a fuller localhost sample guide. WebSocket binary-frame inspection now includes bounded, on-demand Protobuf wire-format heuristics without adding decoder work to the capture hot path.

Rockxy is listed with current version 0.40.0.

Full profile and verified facts for Rockxy →

How to choose

• Free of charge. Reqable — no payment is required.
• No licence fee, source available. James, mitmproxy and Rockxy — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
• One-time purchase. Charles and Proxyman — you pay once.
• Pricing not published in our data. Proxie — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.

Open source: James, mitmproxy and Rockxy (3 of 7).

Common mistakes

• Installing the proxy’s root certificate and leaving it trusted afterwards. Remove it when you are done; that certificate can read anything on the machine.
• Debugging an app that pins its certificate and concluding the proxy is broken. Certificate pinning is the reason, and no proxy setting will change it.
• Using a GUI proxy where a scriptable one is needed. Recording by hand is not a test.
• Forgetting to remove the system proxy afterwards. Nothing connects until you remember, and it is always at the worst moment.

How this guide was put together

Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.

A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.

The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.

Verified 2026-10-05.